Dearly Beloved
by modest serenity
Summary: For years Max kept a secret so twisted that she dealt with alone. Now on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, she is forced to confront her past and Terry fears that his friendship might not be enough to keep her from going over the edge... Terry/Max


**Dearly Beloved**

**Summary: For years Max kept a secret so twisted that she thought she could bear alone. Now on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, the secret threatens to consume her and drive her to do something unforgivable and Terry must figure out how to stop her before it's too late.... Terry/Max**

**AN: Warning...this is NOT a sunshine and rainbow story, meaning that it has very ADULT issues involved and is very dark. If you are offended by sexual abuse, cursing, rape and violence, although it's not too extreme, I would suggest you not read any further. However if you are driven by morbid curiosity to read this, I cannot be held responsible lol**

**Ten years ago.....**

_**Hush little baby don't say a word**_

_**Daddy's gonna buy you a mocking bird...**_

She closed her eyes trying to block out the haunting lullaby. She hated the song with a passion. He always sung it when he came to seek her out. His voice reminded her of something from a horrible nightmare in which she couldn't escape. She could hear his singing grow softer as he slowly crept up the stairs leading to her room. The song bought back painful and tormented memories. Tears of rage, of helplessness and pain burned the corner of her eyes as she listened to the stairs creak beneath his weight. Her first instinct was to hide, but it would do no good. He would always find her, so with her head hung in defeat and terror in her soul, she waited. Most kids her age was afraid of the imaginary monster they believed to be hiding in their closet, or the evil bogey man lurking beneath their bed, but not her. What she feared is the one person that most kids trusted....

The doorknob on the door turned slightly, and he walked in. Judging from the suit he was still wearing he had just come home from a long day at work. As usual, he was home before her mother got off of work and her older sister got back from her part time job down at the arcade. With a pleasant smile, he closed the door behind him and the soft 'click' she heard let her know that he had locked it.

"Hey, Maxine. I bought you a gift," he said grinning down at her with one hand behind his back.

She smiled faintly. It was her eighth birthday and while she had spent most of the day in complete innocent bliss, she suddenly got the sinking feeling that something terrible was about to happen. Her palms grew sweaty as he crept towards her, his dark eyes dancing with merriment. Instinctively she cowered away from him, a soft whimper escaping her lips.

"What's wrong, Maxine. Don't you want to see what I got you? I know you'll love it," he coaxed warmly holding the fairly large black and red gift wrapped box out for her to take.

_**If that mocking bird won't sing....**_

_**Daddy's gonna buy you a diamond ring.....**_

_**If that diamond ring turns to brass'**_

_**Daddy's gonna buy you a looking glass....**_

She had no other choice, but to accept the present he offered her. Delicately, she pulled the red bow of the black square box and timidly looked inside. It was a beautiful crystal miniature horse. She loved horses, and had collected the toys ever since she was five. Horses were noble creatures that she had the honor of seeing on television and more intimately in her dreams. It was beautiful and exactly what she had wanted for her birthday, but somehow she could not find the words to express truly how she felt. She could feel knots forming in her stomach as she remembered the year before what her father had given to her birthday. The gift had left her mentally scarred with nightmares that still haunted her to that very day. She had dreaded her eighth birthday for that very reason.

"What do you say when someone gives you a gift, Maxine?" he asked her sternly.

She swallowed nervously. Her father had always preached manners into her and her sister, saying that an ill mannered little girl was a bad little girl, and she knew all too well of the things that happened to little girls when they were bad.

"Thank you," she squeaked out, but she could tell her response was a little too late. Her father's face was darkened with anger and something else that made Max feel as if she was starring at a complete stranger, rather then the man she had called Daddy since the day she had spoken her first words as a child.

"No, please. Not again," she pleaded sobbing, knowing that her cries would do her no good.

_**If that looking glass gets broke**_

_**Daddy's gonna buy you a billy goat**_

_**If that billy goat won't pull**_

_**Daddy's gonna buy you a cart and bull**_

No one would hear her. No one ever heard her when she cried. Her mother was working late as usual, and her sister was out with her boyfriend.

Then it happen. As soon as she saw his belt come off, she braced herself for the beating she knew that would come. He would never hit her where her skin was exposed to the naked eye. Instead, he would make her take off her pants, before he would tear into her legs with his leather weapon. She would squirm, scream, and promise to be a good girl, but he never listened. He would stop right before he made any damaging bruises. Today was no different. After the beating stopped, she wiped away her tears and try to ignore the stinging pain in both of her legs marked with temporary red whelps. She winced as he knelt next to her, apologizing tearfully. Sometimes she could swear he meant it, others, she wasn't so sure.

As he would apologize, he would first play with her hair, marveling over how beautiful it was. Her long ebony hair. It was her pride and joy, and the envy of most of the young girls at school _and _her older sister. After awhile he would move down to her shirt, murmuring about how well she had developed and that she was becoming a beautiful young lady. She knew that it wouldn't be long before he would gently lay her down, and tell her that he was going to show her just how much daddy loved her.

_**If that cart and bull turn over**_

_**Daddy's gonna buy you a dog named Rover**_

_**If that dog named Rover won't bark**_

_**Daddy's gonna buy you a horse and cart**_

When his hands would move down to unfasten her jeans, that's when she would close her eyes and let her mind drift away. Sometimes she would imagine that she was at her favorite place, the toy store in Gotham Mall, and others she would just imagine she was with her best friend, Terry McGuiness. The thought of him bought a little peace and comfort to her. She had met Terry a year ago. Her sister Teresa had been looking for an after school job and had put out the word around the neighborhood that she would babysit. Mary McGuiness had been her first job and since both of Max's mother and father had been out of town on a business trip, Teresa had no other choice but to take Max with her on the job. At first, Max didn't really care for Terry. After all, he was a boy and he was a trouble maker and had practically driven Teresa up a wall with all his antics. Later on at school they began to hang out more and they became casual friends. Her mind drifted back to earlier that day when she was playing with Terry and Chelsea on the playground. Despite the horrible pain wracking her body, a smile curled on her lips as she remember Terry pulling Chelsea's hair on the monkey bars and making the blonde girl cry. Chelsea thought Terry was a jerk, but Max knew otherwise. It was Terry's way of showing the girl that he thought she was cute. Terry had even pulled her hair once or twice, but Max had sat him straight from the get go. She was smart enough of a girl to know what boys did to girls they liked and she didn't want to end up hating Terry the way she hated her father so she had told him that she thought he was a stupid dweeb and he had backed off.

She was jolted from her day dream when she felt her father's chapped lips brush against her forehead. She could barely hold back a sigh of relief. He had finally finished. Numbly, she pulled her pants back up and retreated to the smallest corner of the room where she pulled her knees up to her chest and watched him warily hoping with all of her heart that he wouldn't touch her again.

He stood up fixing his pants as he walked towards the door. Suddenly he stopped and looked back at her making her paralyzed with an fear so intense that she nearly wet herself. She could feel her heart racing like a run away train in her chest.

_**If that cart and horse falls down**_

_**You'll still be the sweetest little**_

_**girl in town..**_

"Who's daddy's little girl?" he asked with a crooked smile.

His smile was chilling and seared her very soul. It was frightening; almost as if someone had taken a knife and carved the wicked smile into his face.

"Me," she said faintly, "I'm daddy's little girl."

"Maxine, I love you. I want you to always know that. Ok, baby girl?" he asked gently.

She nodded quickly blinking back tears as she clutched her glass horse tightly to her chest, almost as if it would protect her.

"Yes, daddy. I love you too," she said meekly.

As she watched him walk out the door, the sob of anguish she had been holding back through the whole terrible ordeal erupted and dizzy from nausea, she rushed over to the bathroom in her room and threw up in the toilet. Her body jerked as she wept uncontrollably. She could still feel his clammy hands all over her body and smell the mint and cigarettes on his breath. Five minutes later, she weakly pulled herself off the floor and stared into the mirror. She hated what she saw. Her face was streaked with white lines, ashy, from her salty tears, her eyes were filled with fear and helplessness and worse of all, her hair remained perfect in it's neat ponytail. She hated her hair. She shuddered as she could still feel his thick fingers combing through it, stroking and playing with ponytails. She hated the girl starring back at her in the mirror. That moment she made a vow to herself. One day would come when she would not be that same weak little girl, and she would learn to fight. She would never let another man hurt her again as long as she lived. when that day came she vowed she would make the man who hurt her pay. She would make her father pay....

_**So hush little baby don't you cry...**_

_**Mommy loves you and so do I....**_

**An: Sorry if that made anyone uncomfortable, but I was recently told I wasn't an edgy type of writer, so this is me stepping out of my comfort zone. O.o**


End file.
